If you ask a teacher or student which G Suite for Edu tool they use most often I bet the response would be “GMAIL”.  They probably feel pretty confident about their mastery of composing and sending an Email. Some might even say they are ninja’s or Guru’s when it comes to using GMAIL. But are they really more than proficient users? Most people only really use the very basics of sending and receiving email.

I created the following GMAIL Learning Square to support colleagues, friends and students with learning about some of the hidden treasures residing within GMAIL.

GMAIL LEARNING SQUARE

Click here to Open the Learning Square

• TYPE USING DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
  • Useful for Support ELL Students and their families
  • Supports Connecting Globally with Classroom from other countries
  • May be integrated into a foreign language or social studies unit
• CREATE LABELS
  • Similar to a Folder or Cabinet for storing Email
  • Supports proficient Email Search
  • Helps students organize important messages
• FILTER EMAIL
  • Automates EMAIL Filing process
  • Timesaver for organizing Email
  • Basis for an efficient Email search
• UNDO SEND
  • Provides set amount of time to undo a sent Email
    • This is for those with a “Trigger Happy Finger”
• CONTACT GROUPS
  • Eliminates having typing individual Emails
  • May use in to share Google Drive Files
  • Timesaver enter one name versus multiple Email addresses
• USE TASK SPECIFIC ADDRESSES
  • May use to sign up to different educational websites
  • Makes it easy to filter the incoming mail from “Free Sites”
  • Use to create a “Help Desk” specific Email address
• CANNED RESPONSES
  • Timesaver by providing a template for common responses
  • Use to correspond with parents or students
    • Create set answers to questions about:
      • Field trips
      • Special Project Assignments
      • Classroom Events
• GMAIL OFFLINE
  • Allows the user with limited internet access to compose Email
  • Email may be read and organized off-line
  • Changes sync and update once connected to the internet
• TYPE USING DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
  • Correspond with ELL students
  • Supports correspondence with non-english speaking guardians
  • May be used in a foreign language class or other content area

One beauty of using G Suite tools is the hidden helpful extra features. These extra features or tools often add a powerful punch to the usability. So the next time you open a Google APP click around and see what you can discover.